Guadalupe López-Íñiguez (b. 1983) is a Spanish cellist and interdisciplinary researcher based in Finland. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the Autonomous University of Madrid, and a Master’s Degree in Classical Music Performance from the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki. Guadalupe is currently Adjunct Professor of Music Education at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Center for Educational Research and Academic Development in the Arts (CERADA), Vice-President of the Spanish Association for Psychology of Music and Musical Performance, and freelance cellist. She is specialized in the educational psychology of music performance and instruction, and historically informed performance on period instruments.
In the field of musical performance, Guadalupe has been mentored by distinguished modern, nineteenth-century, and baroque cello masters, and is especially grateful for the encouragement received from mentors Rafael Ramos and Markku Luolajan-Mikkola. She has appeared as a soloist at many prestigious venues, and has taken part in a number of notable festivals in Europe, Russia, and the US, including the BRQ Vantaa Festival (FI), the Moscow Philharmonic Society (RU), the American Beethoven Center (US), the Utrecht Early Music Festival’s Fabulous Fringe (NL), the Bergheim Cello Solo Festival (DE), the Soiva Akatemia Festival (FI), Sibafest (FI), and others. Alba Records released her critically acclaimed albums with the complete cello works by Gabrielli and Scarlatti in 2018, and the complete cello works by Mendelssohn with pianist Olga Andryushchenko in 2019 − both albums performed on period instruments. Guadalupe also plays at times with the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, as well as other professional early-music ensembles, and has recorded for radio and television. In earlier years, she was selected as the principal cellist for the youth orchestras of the communities of Madrid and Valencia, and the city of Oviedo (Spain).
In the field of artistic-scientific research, she presents her work regularly at international congresses and has been published in books and different impact journals indexed in the ISI Web of Knowledge (JCR-SSCI and A&HCI). She also serves as an expert for various journals, conferences, and institutions (e.g. European Commission), and has received numerous scholarships and awards. She is currently conducting her second postdoctoral research project, funded by the Academy of Finland (2018-2021), studying how to renew learning and performance practices among musicians and transform pedagogy in higher music education by highlighting the importance of learner identity. In addition, Guadalupe has worked since 2008 as a researcher in various well-funded collaborative research projects in Europe (e.g. I+D+i, Finnish Academy) related to the psychology of music learning and arts education. Her PhD, which was awarded in 2014 and carried out (on full scholarship FPU-UAM) under the supervision of Prof. Juan Ignacio Pozo, focused on the analysis of the psychological processes in the acquisition of musical knowledge, particularly from constructivist perspectives. Her first postdoctoral project, funded by the Kone Foundation (2016–2018), focused on the study of the complete works for piano and cello by Beethoven and Mendelssohn by combining multidisciplinary perspectives.
In the field of pedagogy, Guadalupe has been teaching since she was 14, either privately or in state-funded institutions. Her teaching philosophy is social constructivist in essence, based on the belief that people construct meaning and knowledge from their experiences, ideas about the world, and prior knowledge. She has taught cello performance to kids and adults, some of whom are now professional musicians. She also has experience teaching music and movement to toddlers, which is an especially rewarding job. During the last few years, she has focused on teaching music psychology and music pedagogy in higher education, in combination with her artistic and researching activities. In addition, she also supervises doctoral theses. In this website you will find a list of Guadalupe’s most recent teaching/supervision courses, as well as feedback examples from students and participants who have attended her courses.
CURRENT RESEARCH
‘Transforming Musicianship: Developing Musicians’ Learner Identity Through Multidisciplinary Pedagogy’
Funded by the Academy of Finland (1.9.2018—31.8.2021)
Follow the project updates here (Website) & here (Facebook)!
Public Description of the Project: Despite the popularity of music learning and music making in Finland, the pedagogies that underpin instrumental studio teaching are outdated and ineffective. Based at the Sibelius Academy, the Transforming Musicianship Project will renew learning and performance practices among musicians and transform pedagogy in higher music education by highlighting the importance of learner identity. The project will revive historical music learning conventions to develop autonomous learners who can direct their learning and careers. The multidisciplinary project comprises an intra-individual, experimental and longitudinal study with seven classical musicians including the personal investigator. The research involves questionnaires, reflexive diaries, interviews, concerts and rehearsals, and naturalistic observations of behaviour. The project’s theoretical and practical contributions have the potential to position Finnish music education at the forefront of instrumental pedagogical practice globally.
